Why Chelsea Or Arsenal could win Europa League
With the victories of both teams on Thursday, we can actually discuss the possibility of bringing the Europa League trophy back to England.
Chelsea travelled to Greece to play against PAOK and won the match with an early Willian goal. Alongside Pedro, Alvaro Morata played up front, while Eden Hazard got a deserved rest. Davide Zappacosta and Andreas Christensen also got to play in the fixture, and they'll likely be on the team for the Videoton match at Stamford Bridge on October 4th when they continue their Europa campaign.
Arsenal, starting their match after Chelsea's, hosted at the Emirates Stadium and dominated the game, taking home three points in a 4-2 victory against Vorskla. The Ukranian side put two goals behind Bernd Leno, who got his Arsenal debut as a goalkeeper on Thursday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice, Danny Welbeck was on the starting line and also put in a goal, while Mesut Ozil came off the bench to add a fourth.
From the look of things, Arsenal will almost certainly top Group E as they make their way on October 4th to Azerbaijan to play Qarabag FK. They would have Sporting to contend with eventually, but I don't see anything stopping the Gunners from gunning their way into the final stages of the tournament.
Chelsea, as well, can easily handle Group L. The only team that could give the Blues any issues (if any, really) is BATE, and Chelsea would most certainly take home all points when they play BATE later on. It's almost certain Chelsea would build on each game and go into the latter stages with full form.
As both teams progress into knockout stages, they will find themselves drawn to teams they should easily beat. The non-English favourites for the Europa this year haven't played up to standards. AC Milan beat F91 Dudelange with only one goal. Villarreal at home drew to Rangers. Even last season's runners-up Marseille lost to Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1. Only Sevilla, who have won the competition five times in the last decade, brought their A-game to beat a defenceless Standard Liege 5-1.
So far, only Sevilla look like a match for the London clubs. It's possible that we could see a Gunners vs. Blues game in the finals of the Europa League. Frankly, I wouldn't be too surprised. Both managers used a reasonable number of their starters in Thursday's games, and there's no reason why they won't keep doing just that.
Maurizio Sarri would be looking to cement his name at Stamford Bridge, and a Europa title may just be the perfect way to start the mould Unai Emery, on the other hand, has a lot to give Arsenal supporters, who want to see what he has to offer. Handing them the Europa League will be a sign of great things to come.
Do you think we'll see an English final? Do you think Arsenal and Chelsea have the strength and the depth to get to the finish line?
Let's wait and see.